DURHAM — Perhaps it’s some sort of motivating ploy, but it’s out there in clear view.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski expects forward Mason Plumlee to be the best player on the court.

“I just think he’s one of the best players in the United States,” Krzyzewski said. “Him having that kind of year will be really key for us.”

When Krzyzewski offered such an assessment a few weeks ago, it wasn’t news to Plumlee, a 6-foot-10 senior.

“I believe it,” Plumlee said. “Now it’s up to me to go out and show it.”

Plumlee’s athleticism hasn’t been in question while he has been with the Blue Devils. Now it’s a matter of making his last season his best season.

“He’s hungry,” guard Quinn Cook said. “He’s just like a different person on the court. He looks like a man on a mission.”

Plumlee averaged 11.1 points, a team-leading 9.2 rebounds and a team-best 44 blocked shots a season ago. So while those portrayed a solid season, the jump to elite status might be a sizable one.

Plumlee explored the possibility of going to the NBA Draft last spring, then decided a fourth year with the Blue Devils would be best.

“I wanted another moment here at Duke,” Plumlee said.

“I really like where he is at,” Krzyzewski said. “If we do something spectacular, have a special year, a big thing will be because of him. It’s his time to be the key guy. Ryan (Kelly) and Seth (Curry) are also key guys. But Mason is the key guy.”

All this revolves around a player whose potential is almost always present even if his production wavers. In the last dozen games of last season, Plumlee managed to reach double-figure scoring totals five times.

“I feel I have to be more dependable scoring the ball,” he said. “The biggest focus of my offseason was my offense in the low post and be able to make jump shots.”

Plumlee attended high-profile camps in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, but he spent a bulk of the summer on an internship in Chicago. He said Krzyzewski regularly contacted him during the summer, and with that he said he felt the coach was expressing his confidence in him as a player.

Plumlee said he was serious about his internship with Barclays, but he was also in tune with basketball workouts.

“The biggest thing, I just spent more time in the gym,” he said.

He said he was one of the five-hour guys, not involved so much to be a 12-hour daily disciple like some of the other interns.

Plumlee’s area of concentration was private wealth management. If the season goes according to Krzyzewski’s plan, Plumlee could have an opportunity to exercise those internship skills for himself.